"Not every violation of the law is a crime." PLEASE can we make these Republicans go away??

[proud2BlibKansan]

Mukasey Won’t Pursue Charges in Hiring Inquiry

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Michael Mukasey on Tuesday rejected the idea of criminally prosecuting former Justice Department employees who improperly used political litmus tests in hiring decisions, saying he had already taken strong internal steps in response to a “painful” episode.

Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey, speaking at the American Bar Association in New York on Tuesday, said officials will not be prosecuted in the Justice Department's political hiring scandal.

Two recent reports from the Justice Department inspector general and its internal ethics office have found that about a half-dozen officials at the Justice Department — all but one now gone — systematically rejected candidates with perceived “liberal” backgrounds for what were supposed to be non-political jobs and sought out conservative Republicans.

In a speech Tuesday morning to the American Bar Association in New York, Mr. Mukasey acknowledged that some critics and commentators have called on the Justice Department to take what he called “more drastic steps” in dealing with the scandal, including prosecuting those at fault and firing those hired through flawed procedures.

“Where there is enough evidence to charge someone with a crime, we vigorously prosecute,” he said. “But not every wrong, or even every violation of the law, is a crime,” he said. As the inspector general’s report acknowledged, the hiring violations were such a case, because the wrongdoing violated federal civil service law, but not criminal law, he said.

more . . . http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/12/washington/13justice.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Anyone else remember Edwin Meese, Reagan's AG, who said "If a person is innocent of a crime, then he is not a suspect.”

So what's up with these Republican Attorney Generals who don't seem to understand criminal law???? :wtf:

[rfranklin]

1. Just because I beat the crap out of a Republican...

doesn't mean I committed a crime. He was asking for it.

[panader0]

2. So violating the law is not a crime?

Damn, I wish I'd known that when I was busted twice for pot years ago. It would have saved me a lot of time and money. These MFer's in this administration break the law at will, refuse supoenas, lie under oath, etc, etc. Imagine if you or I tried to act that way.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. I got ticketed for having peeling paint on my house

If I was a Republican, would I have been cited? :)

[Bob Dobbs]

4. Make them go away with extreme prejudice.

It is the only way they will go away.

[trof]

5. You're kidding, right? My law dictionary says this:

CRIME - A crime is a wrongdoing classified by the state or Congress as a felony or misdemeanor.

A crime is an offence against a public law. This word, in its most general sense, includes all offences, but in its more limited sense is confined to felony.

The term offence may be considered as having the same meaning, but is usually understood to be a crime not indictable but punishable, summarily or by the forfeiture of a penalty.

Felony. A felony is a serious crime punishable by at least one year in prison. Some family law felonies include kidnapping and custodial interference (in some states).

People convicted of felonies lose certain rights, such as the right to vote or hold public office. During the term of sentence, the convicted person may also be prohibited from making contracts, marrying, suing or keeping certain professional licenses. Upon release from prison, the convict may also be required to register with the police.

Misdemeanor. A misdemeanor is a crime for which the punishment is usually a fine and/or up to one year in a county jail. Often a crime which is a misdemeanor for the first offense becomes a felony for repeated offenses. All crimes that are not felonies are misdemeanors.

Crimes are defined and punished by statutes and by the common law. Most common law offences are as well known and as precisely ascertained as those which are defined by statutes; yet, from the difficulty of exactly defining and describing every act which ought to be punished, the vital and preserving principle has been adopted; that all immoral acts which tend to the prejudice of the community are punishable by courts of justice.

Crimes are 'mala in se,' or bad in themselves, and these include all offences against the moral law; or they are 'mala prohibita,' bad because prohibited, as being against sound policy which, unless prohibited, would be innocent or indifferent.
http://www.lectlaw.com/def/c330.htm

[supernova]

6. Does he not realize

how Stupid® that sounds?

[HCE SuiGeneris]

7. Ah, doublespeak (aka lies) from the highest law officer in the country. USA! USA! USA!

:puke:

[porphyrian]

8. That's why they were given the job.

If they actually believed in law and justice, this administration would have nothing to do with them.

[guitar man]

9. yippee!!!!

I just found a really good deal on a pound of weed!! :evilgrin:

:sarcasm: